Until the end
by Sugihara
Summary: One-shot After being reunited, Tifa and Kain actually manage to find some opportunity to rest. Kain/Tifa. Set after Chapter 7 of Main Scenario 012.


_So. After actually beating Feral Chaos (who was way easier to beat than I thought) and still trying to get the new chapter for Kodou ready (which is harder to write than anticipated) I tried my hands on a Dissidia story. It's my first attempt in a real long time to write a one-shot. And I am still not sure if I did my job well enough._

_For a change, there won't be any original characters. Only two people in there, actually. I usually don't write stories like this but I thought I'd try anyway. So any opinions, suggestions or whatever would be greatly appreciated._

_After this, I will return my attention to my ongoing stories. I hope I will make some progress with them now.  
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_Disclaimer: I don't own, Dissidia, Final Fantasy or its characters. Square Enix does. I don't make any profit with this._

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><p><strong>Until the end<br>**

It was a lot to take in for Tifa. Even though she was glad that she had finally gotten Kain to talk to her, a part of her actually wished he hadn't said anything at all.

She kinda welcomed the manikins they met on their way to Sanctuary. While she was forced to fight she was distracted from thinking about the horrible truth.

They still had a rather long way to go. And all this fighting was starting to wear her down. But as she remembered that Kain had been through a lot more up until now, she pulled herself together.

When they passed an empty gateway she turned to him. "Let's take a break," she decided.

"I don't need to. I can still fight," he said flatly.

"Come on!" Tifa sighed. "You really look like you're ready to tall over. I don't have any potions left. You need to rest."

"What about you?" he inquired.

"I'm fine for now. I'll keep watch for you."

He considered her for a few moments. He wasn't in the mood to argue with her. Most likely she wouldn't listen to him anyway. So that left only one thing he could do – give in.

As Tifa was about to enter the gateway he held her back. "Do you think this wise?" he asked.

"We need to stay somewhere," she replied. "Preferably not out here."

He nodded in agreement, but led her away from the gateway. He'd been wandering around for long enough, hiding their allies from Chaos's warriors and the manikins, so he knew where they would probably be attacked and where they most likely had a chance to be left alone.

He'd never admit it, but he wouldn't be able to get any rest if he knew that Tifa was out there on her own, fighting countless enemies. For him.

With a swift look around he scanned the area. Then he indicated a place he thought of as safe.

"Are you kidding?" Tifa said incredulously. "How in Shiva's name do you expect me to get up there?"

"You seem to forget who you're with."

She shook her head in disbelief. Before she could say any more Kain grabbed her, bent his knees and jumped.

Holding on to him for dear life, Tifa closed her eyes. She wasn't afraid of heights and she still trusted him. But this had come too sudden for her comfort.

When they reached their destination – a small cave on top of the highest mountain around – Kain let go. But Tifa didn't at first.

"It's all right," he told her. He couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable, though he didn't show it.

She finally released her hold on him and looked around. Upon seeing just how high up they actually were, Tifa felt faintly sick. "You sure it's safe here?"

"Pretty much."

She nodded. His word was good enough for her.

It took a bit getting used to but the view was quite enjoyable. Besides, who would expect them to be here? Maybe this place really was safe.

Tifa took a deep breath before she followed Kain into the cave. It really was rather small but there was still enough room for the two of them.

Once they were inside the dragoon placed a rock in front of the entrance, using his lance, so no one would find them here.

"Good thinking," she acknowledged. In the middle of the cave was a used fireplace. "Been here much?"

"Frequently."

Tifa sighed. She was used to him not talking much. But for some reason it still unnerved her.

He turned his back on her as he lit a fire to keep them warm. This cave may be safe from enemies, but this high up it would get really cold. And he didn't want her to fall ill.

Upon closer inspection Tifa also found a blanket. So he really had been here a few times. It was a relief to know that he hadn't been fighting non-stop but taken breaks every now and then.

"You can take it."

She spun around. "What?"

He stepped closer to her without meaning to, so they were only a few inches apart. He could see her breath rise up as mist in front of her face. "The blanket. You can use it."

Tifa blinked up at him. "I'm fine," she replied.

"You're freezing."

Involuntarily, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Before he had pointed it out she hadn't even noticed the cold.

"It's –" she started but he actually interrupted her.

"It is not." Closing the distance between them, he took the blanket from her and put it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said quietly when he stepped back. She knew he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He merely looked at her, the lower half of his face devoid of any emotion.

They both sat down close to the fire, facing the entrance in case someone _did_ happen to find their hiding place after all. Neither of them said anything for a while.

Now awfully aware of the cold that had crept through her body before without her noticing, Tifa started to shiver slightly. Hugging her knees to her chest she stared into the dancing flames.

The whole time Kain watched her, lost in his own thoughts. Seeing her like this, she looked more fragile than she actually was. He knew she was tough. And she was a good fighter. But somehow he felt the need to protect her.

He was startled to see a tear suddenly roll down her cheek. Automatically he raised a hand to wipe it away. Whatever she was thinking about, it obviously hurt her.

"Huh?" She blinked at him. As she saw his fingers close to her face she blushed a little.

"Are you all right?" Kain asked quietly, lowering his hand before it could touch her.

"I'm fine," she whispered and pushed a few strands of her dark brown hair away.

"Memories?"

She shook her head with a sad smile. "Not really... it's more the feeling of a memory, you know?" She shook her head again. "I don't know how to explain it..." Her voice trailed off.

"I understand."

Tifa looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. Her face had told him what he needed to know. She felt lonely, even though she didn't remember why.

With a deep sigh she buried her face in her hands. "It's kinda frustrating," she admitted. "The more I try to remember something the less I seem to be able to."

"Then don't," he said simply.

Resting her cheek on her knees she gazed at him. "If you say it, it sounds pretty easy."

He shifted into a more comfortable position. "Memories are more likely to come back if you don't try too hard."

"You regained a lot of your memories, right?" she wanted to know.

He nodded slowly. "I have been here for much longer than you."

She thought about this. "Well," she said, more cheerful now. "It's not too bad, I guess. At least, I have friends here, so I'm not all alone." Straightening up, she smiled brightly. "And how can I miss something I don't remember anyway?"

_You can_, he thought bitterly, _because you know the memories are there, even though they're hidden_. But he didn't dare tell her that. He didn't want to make her sad. Again. Instead he asked, "Are you still cold?"

This question caught her by surprise. "Not that much," she replied. "What about you?"

"I'm all right."

She took the blanket off her shoulders, ignoring the still quite chilly air that gave her goose bumps, and held it out to him. "Here, take it," she said. "It's yours anyway."

"No," he refused flat-out.

Stubborn as she was, she tried to push it into his lap, but he shoved it back to her. Tifa got up to force it on him but her feet got tangled in the blanket and she tripped, losing her Balance.

"Watch out!" Kain called, but to late.

She fell and he stretched out his arms to catch her. The brawler landed on top of him, causing Kain to lose his balance as well.

All this happened so fast that it came as a bit of a surprise to find him flat on his back and her sprawled out on top of him, his arms around her.

Kain closed his eyes as he tried to remain calm. His heart was hammering inside his chest, and he hoped that she wouldn't notice it. He cursed inwardly.

Tifa blinked a few times, trying to comprehend the current situation. Upon feeling the body beneath her she blushed furiously. "Sorry about that," she muttered, still not moving. The way he embraced her actually felt good. She felt secure in his arms. A feeling she'd missed before.

When he finally regained control of himself he opened his eyes again. He actually wanted to tell her that it was now safe for her to get up. But he didn't. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm all right." But was he, really?

A soft sigh escaped her lips. She still remained where she was.

Kain stared at the ceiling of the cave, not able to distract himself from the scent of her hair and the body lying upon him. "You're still cold," he said eventually.

He could feel her nod on his chest. Without letting go of her he sat up slowly. "Come on," he muttered. "I don't want you to freeze to death."

This time she didn't protest but accepted the blanket willingly. Shivering, she wrapped it around her.

He considered her for a moment before he started to take off his armour.

She gave him a surprised look. "What are you doing?" she asked him through chattering teeth.

"I'll help you warm up."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest, but didn't say anything.

Now wearing only his protective cotton shirt and trousers, he removed his helmet. His straw blond hair fell down over his shoulders and onto his back.

Tifa merely gaped at him as he took the blanket from her and pulled her close to his chest before he wrapped the blanket tightly around them both.

Kain laid his arms around her again. She must be frozen to the bone and still insisted he'd take the blanket. She was too kind for her own good. "Do you feel better?" he asked quietly.

"Mhmm," she murmured contentedly, still shivering. Since he was taller than her she couldn't see his face. Up until now she'd only caught a few glimpses of it.

He moved his hands over her bare arms in hope to warm them up. His heart was beating violently again. Now, without his armour, she was bound to notice.

She sure did. Her cheeks flushed as she leaned her head on his chest. Eyes half closed, he heaved a sigh. Right now she wished this moment could last forever.

Kain tilted his head but didn't trust himself to speak. There was no need to say anything, though.

"Yes," she replied to his unspoken question.

For a while they were both silent, enjoying each other's company.

After what seemed like an eternity Tifa finally looked up. His gaze was locked on the entrance of the cave. His face didn't bear the slightest trace of an emotion. "Are _you_ okay?"

Slowly he turned his gaze on her, making her gasp. Without realising it she raised a hand and placed it gently on his cheek.

"Tifa..." he whispered hoarsely. There actually was something else he'd wanted to say but he couldn't remember. With her so close to him he found himself unable to concentrate on anything else.

Then, suddenly remembering something, she narrowed her eyes at him. "The others _are_ safe, right?"

"What?" He was confused. "Of course they are. Why?"

"All of them?"

Why did she have to ask that now of all times? "You know I didn't get to everyone yet."

"What about Light?"

Kain stared at her. "I already told you that she resisted and then Garland and Exdeath turned up." He felt her hand drop from his cheek and grabbed it.

"So you wanted to keep her safe, right?"

What was she trying to get at? "Yes."

"What about me?"

Now they were obviously getting to the point. "I..." How was he supposed to explain it? "I actually planned to put you to sleep as well."

Her expression softened. "Why didn't you?"

"I couldn't." He averted his gaze.

Tifa gently squeezed his hand. "But you wanted to keep me safe. Without harming me yourself."

He looked back at her, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You saved me from that witch, Ultimecia," she pointed out. "When I followed you after that you made it easy for me to find you."

Kain was surprised that she'd noticed this. "I..." He sighed. "I guess I wanted..."

"To stay close?" she cut in.

He nodded curtly. There was nothing he could say anyway.

"Light?"

"She hates me." He shrugged.

"But you care about her." It wasn't a question.

"She's our ally." He finally had enough. "She's not here now. You are."

She replied with a bright smile which made his heart skip a beat.

"Done talking?"

Tifa nodded.

"Good."

They were both silent for a moment, watching each other, Kain still holding her close.

Tifa bit her lips nervously. She had started the previous discussion deliberately, since she wasn't sure how to handle his close proximity.

Until now, she'd only seen him as a friend. But could he be more than that? What did he think of her? He probably didn't want to talk about it but she wanted to know. "Kain...?" she started timidly.

Finally losing his internal battle he groaned in frustration. He cupped her cheek with his hand, pulling her even closer. He saw her eyes widen as he closed his own. When his lips touched hers, his mind went completely blank.

Saying that Tifa was surprised by this action would definitely be an understatement.

Instinctively, she laid a hand onto his chest to push him away. But did she really want that? Getting over her initial shock, she grabbed his shirt and tilted her head a bit as she leaned in and kissed him back.

He'd never expected it to come to this. The only woman he had ever wanted before he had been summoned to this realm had rejected him. That was why he had tried to keep his distance. He'd feared that, deeply hidden inside her lost memories, there was someone else her heart belonged to. If there was, he hoped she wouldn't remember.

His hand wandered from her cheek to the back of her head, letting her soft hair glide through his fingers.

Upon feeling her lips part, he couldn't suppress a low growl, tentatively slipping his tongue into her mouth, which she welcomed with surprisingly overwhelming passion.

Deepening the kiss, his breath rather shallow now, he gently pushed her down to the floor.

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><p>Later, the fire had almost completely burned down, Kain lay on his back with his arms wrapped securely around Tifa, whose head was placed comfortably on his shoulder.<p>

She breathed a contented sigh as she traced invisible patterns on his bare chest.

"Maybe you shouldn't come with me," he said suddenly.

Feeling a slight pang she raised her head to look at him. "Why not?"

His right hand moved up her arm. "It's not safe."

She frowned at him. "We already talked about that," she said.

He sighed. "I know. I –"

"If you want to get rid of me, you can just say it."

"That's not it," Kain replied firmly. "I just don't want you to die."

Tifa blinked. "You now I'm not going to let you down. I told you I'd help you."

He considered her with a grim expression on his face. Knowing her, she'd most likely follow him again if he sent her away or simply left her.

There were only two ways for him to keep her safe, at least for a while. First was to put her to sleep like most of their allies. But he'd already proven himself incapable of harming her at all. And second... He could keep her close and try to protect her as best he could. Since she was a strong woman and a trained fighter, she wouldn't be a burden to him.

If there weren't the manikins to consider and the fact that they weren't likely to survive their mission, he definitely wouldn't let her out of his sight. Not soon, anyway.

He told her his opinion on this matter.

"So it's settled, then," she decided, gently caressing his cheek. "We're going to see this through. I'll stick with you until the very end."

Kain gave her a very rare, grateful smile before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"And who knows," she continued, back to her usual cheerful self, "maybe this won't be our definite end after all."

He didn't have the heart to crush her optimism. They could only hope that things would turn out in their favour.

"I know you're worried," she whispered softly. "But I'll be fine as long as you're with me."

"All right," he muttered. "Together, then, until the bitter end."

Maybe it wasn't so bad after all, he thought as she drifted off to sleep. Being with the woman he longed for, even for a limited time, was probably the best he could wish for.

And with that final thought he also allowed himself some much needed rest before they would face more manikins to keep their comrades safe, so they could hopefully win this war in the next cycle.


End file.
